Swedish Saab has already produced 100 Giraffe 1X multi-mission surveillance radars in the first 6 months of 2026. At the same time, the company does not plan to stop and wants to achieve production volumes of more than 300 radars per year.
The company’s CEO, Mikael Johansson, said this during Saab’s second-quarter 2026 earnings call, writes Defence Industry Europe. According to him, as Giraffe 1X is very high demand in the market, Saab is manufacturing the radars "not only on contract".
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The representative of Saab noted that achieving production volumes of more than 300 radars per year will allow to reach a new level of production efficiency.
"On the product side, if you really get to delivering 300 radars a year, you will get the huge scale effect," Johansson said.
It should be noted, that Saab is expanding its counter-UAS offering too. Alongside the radar production increase, the company offers a ange of decisions for defeating aerial threats that are combining sensors and command-and-control systems with different effectors.
From Defense Express, we note that the production of systems "in advance" or "in stock" without a contract has certain risks, as they may simply not be purchased later. Therefore, defense companies often do not do this, because it does not guarantee orders from potential customers and the sale of such systems.
However, if the demand on the market is really sufficient now, because everyone needs to detect drones, then such a solution will significantly reduce the delivery time of radars. And, of course, contracting components in advance and mass production can somewhat reduce the cost of the product.
It will be recalled that the Giraffe 1X is a short-range radar that operates in the IEEE X band and is capable of detecting targets at a distance of up to 75 km, and it is not only about drones, but also other aerodynamic targets and even mortar fire. Also, this radar has quite compact dimensions and a weight of up to 300 kg, thanks to which it is possible to install it on light platforms, such as pickup trucks.
This radar has now gained increased popularity as part of C-UAS systems. In addition to Sweden, its customers and users include France, Denmark, Great Britain, Lithuania and even the USA.
Giraffe 1X is also supplied to strengthen the Defense Forces of Ukraine, both as an independent radar and as part of other systems, such as, for example, Tridon Mk2. Therefore, increasing the production of these radars can help Ukraine to better counter russian drone attacks.
From the Defense Express side, we urges you to join a fundraising for what is already working: One United Fundraiser: Fundraising by the Serhiy Prytula Charity Foundation for interceptor drones.
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